Bajo el signo de Ishtar

The Mole People is one of those science fiction cheapies that you wish had a bigger budget. I found it to be one of the most imaginative of science fiction films of the fifties. It would get a far better rating from me if a few more dollars had been put in.

A team of scientists on top a mountain in what would be ancient Mesopotamia, today Iraq find on top the mountain a cave leading to an ancient Sumerian civilization which has survived their almost for 5000 years. Probably the greatest archaeological find ever, imagine finding some ancient Egyptians hidden away, clinging to their cultural traditions. The greatest opportunity ever to research a culture.

Of course some of these are not quite human, they've returned to being mole like humans and they're the slaves. It's a slow punishment for the bad, a quick punishment is the hated fires of Ishtar. You're sent into what looks like an oven and you're burnt away to ashes.

The film does a marvelous job in building up the viewers fears of the fires of Ishtar so in the end when the scientists are flung into it, we're scared witless.

John Agar, Hugh Beaumont, and Nestor Paiva are some of the scientists and the high priest of Ishtar is Alan Napier. What is the fire of Ishtar? That's not a question to be answered here. See the film and find out.

Of all the silly 50's sci-fi flicks why was this one singled out as one of the worst? What about that silly Peter Graves movie that had killer shrews but was actually collies with wigs? This one is silly but I still enjoy a low budget movie like this. It has one of my favorite "B" movie stars like John Agar and I thought Cynthia Patrick was pretty and charming. And the beavers dad Hugh Beaumont gives his usual stiff performance. It also has a non-hollywood ending, so it surprised me in that regard. And why do the mole people wear sweat shirts? Anyhow, I admit its slow moving and very silly. But I can enjoy it on that level!

Charmingly silly and inconsequential monster movie has archaeologists in Asia discovering secluded mountain city run by snarling, villainous humans who have mole people as slaves. Fair B-movie production with good cinematography by Ellis Carter, but a sluggish direction from barely-imaginative Virgil Vogel. Screenplay by Laszlo Gorog may have been intended as an antidote for non-fans of "Lost Horizon": this city looks like the flip-side to Shangri-La! Not a classic by any means, with predictably wooden performances by John Agar and Hugh Beaumont, though not terrible.

** from ****

I can't help feeling that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon saying this is the worst film ever made etc.

I viewed this film for the first time on laserdisc on a video projector in a darkened room with some mates and we found it to be entertaining different atmospheric in parts. John Agar for once has some good lines and does well. The script is a fairly complex one far more than other film of its vintage and budget. We thought the writers should be commended for using such plot devices as intolerance to light and the sub-culture within a sub-culture. Even the ending is unexpected and different. It even has an opening prologue which is a lot of fun. While this film does not hit its target on everything it tries to do, we thought the creators had a pretty good go at it.

I do not honestly understand why so many people think this film is so bad. Maybe seeing it projected on a big screen in a darkened room made a difference, I don't know, but if you have never seen the film before try it with an open mind you may well enjoy it as much as we did.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's cheesy bw 50's sci fi. But it's GREAT cheesy bw 50's sci fi! The Mole People would be campy if it weren't so earnest. It takes itself so seriously it even begins with a pseudodocumentary prelude explaining the hollow Earth theory.

Part of the fun is seeing future TV faves Hugh Beaumont (Beaver's dad), and Alan Napier (Alfred the butler) teamed with legendary 50's hack actors John Agar and Nestor Paiva.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 gave Mole People the full treatment and it was one of the funniest MST3K episodes ever. For the full effect I'd suggest you view the straight version first and then try to find the MST3K episode.